Bridges and brackish roads: Biden builds for $ 2 trillion

The amount is more than what former President Donald Trump wanted to spend on infrastructure projects. Trump had $ 1.5 trillion in mind, but he couldn’t carry out that plan. He went billion to construction projects, but not on the scale he liked.

Successor Joe Biden also wants to build and renovate. He would get help from well-known American entrepreneurs and the business community. They would help find a number of proposals.

Will succeed this time

It’s likely Biden will succeed this time around, says Rabobank economist Philip Marey. Trump had the problem that his own party saw nothing in his expensive project. “Republicans want it, but not that huge sums of money are going in. Trump was actually on the wrong side.”

Democrats, Biden’s party, like it. “They want to spend money on infrastructure and they now hold the majority of power. That’s why I think it will work this time around,” the economist said.

Works

Investment is also necessary, says Marey. There is a maintenance delay. Roads that Collapse, pipelines explode. A tenth of American bridges are said to be defective.

It must be done now, not just for safety. “Also for logistics. When bridges collapse, journey times increase and it’s bad for the economy.” And it also creates jobs. “It’s good for jobs. Especially during a pandemic.”

If Biden, with an amount of $ 2 trillion, isn’t taking too many financial risks? “No, under the current circumstances, the United States can handle this. Interest rates are low now and they can take advantage of it. They are in a good position for this type of spending.”

Dutch manufacturers

It is not known whether Dutch manufacturers will benefit from the US projects, Bouwend Nederland told RTL Z. “We do not know of any manufacturer who is currently working on US projects or who will win orders thanks to this proposal from Biden,” said the spokesperson. Richard Masser.

Although according to Masser, there is still enough work to be done in your own country. “A lot of work has stopped in the Netherlands because of the sewing stick problem. Whereas, just like in America, there is a lot of infrastructure to tackle.”

Concerns about Dutch bridges

Not only do a lot of houses have to be built, there is also a lot of maintenance to be done. Work that can be done by members of Bouwend Nederland. “For example, there are a lot of bridges from the 1950s to the 1970s that are in dire need of updating.”

Not only are Americans desperate to spend money on their infrastructure, Masser says. “Bouwend Nederland is worried. The projects really need to start now. We will also have problems ourselves if we keep putting this before us.”